Targeting the resistant tumor microenvironment
EMT-Biopharma has developed an entirely new approach to attack the most aggressive drug-resistant cancers. We identified a new cell surface complex that specifically appears on highly aggressive tumors that progress and/or develop drug resistance.
Fibrozumab was developed to target this complex — and in doing so can reprogram aggressive tumor cells to a less aggressive, drug-sensitive state.
Fibrozumab represents a Cancer Cell State Reprogrammer that recognizes a wide range of cancers, where we expect it to reverse resistance to standard-of-care therapeutics.
As a second mechanism, Fibrozumab also targets cancer-associated fibroblasts and angiogenic endothelial cells, where it reverses cancer-related fibrosis and angiogenesis. Fibrosis and angiogenesis represent host responses that promote the growth and metastasis of most — if not all — solid tumors.
Fibrozumab
Lead bispecific antibody · pre-IND
Two Targets
Specific Integrins
Two Markers
Epithelial cancers and fibrosis
Three Mechanisms
Anti-tumor · Anti-fibrotic · Anti-angiogenic
Development of a human bispecific antibody
targeting drug-resistant cell population
Fibrozumab targets aggressive, drug-resistant cancer cells
Identification of a cell population with specific functional complex in human lung cancer and PDAC scRNAseq datasets:
- 3 markers: two integrins + one ligand
- Defines cancer cells with high stem/EMT gene signature
- Enriched after treatment with standard of care therapeutics
Fibrozumab is a bispecific antibody designed to target both surface integrins at once.
Fibrozumab also targets fibrosis — dissolves fibronectin.
Its Fc domain also activates macrophages, which destroy the antibody-marked cells.
Where other drugs target just one piece of the puzzle, Fibrozumab disrupts all three: both integrins and fibronectin, together, for the first time.
David Cheresh, PhD
Scientific Founder & Director
UCSD Pathology Vice Chair. Developed Unituxin (FDA 2015). TargeGen founder (Fedratinib FDA 2019, $7B exit). 26 issued patents.
Sara Weis, PhD
VP of Research & Co-Founder
Drives discovery, translational biology, and the Fibrozumab IND-enabling research roadmap.
Stephen J. McCormack, PhD
CEO & Co-Founder
Veteran biotech operator. Built MannKind ($2B), CytomX ($1.5B), AlleCure (ALK exit), NeuroSystec, Pixium Vision (now Science Corp).